Lippert Hydraulics

[lpfdon]

Suddenly my hydraulic sysyem has failed-jacks are down and slides out on my 2009 Monaco Safari. So I am stuck. But our dealer-Bella Vista RV-is sending a crew down making the three hour trip(one way) to fix the problem.

Reading up on this problem online it seems to be an ongoing problem with a faulty seal on the Lippert pump which allows fluid to leak into and burn out the electric motor. Being that it is happening to new Monaco products there is no warranty.

Does this sound familiar to anyone else or any feedback?

[RVAWG@aol.com]

Suddenly my hydraulic sysyem has failed-jacks are down and slides out on my 2009 Monaco Safari. So I am stuck. But our dealer-Bella Vista RV-is sending a crew down making the three hour trip(one way) to fix the problem.

Reading up on this problem online it seems to be an ongoing problem with a faulty seal on the Lippert pump which allows fluid to leak into and burn out the electric motor. Being that it is happening to new Monaco products there is no warranty.

Does this sound familiar to anyone else or any feedback?

Yes, same problem.

Had unit replaced in June in AZ. Went out again in July in ID, had it replaced again.

Both times I had to pay--no help from Lippert.

[rouphous]

Yes, same problem, bad seal, motor full of oil, burned up motor, and of course it happened with the jacks down. Fortunately was able to download the emergency instructions from the Lippert site, and a fellow chapter member had a big drill and with the sockets and extensions I was carrying we were able to retract the jacks and

head home.

Lucky for me, the jacks had less than a year of service and we did get help from Lippert.

[rapata2012]

This seems to be a recurring problem with Lippert leveling systems.

I have a 2011 Astoria which I bought new. From the day I bought the unit I have had problems with the levelers. First of all the unit would sink about 1 1/2" in one day so after getting it checked the dealer decided I had a leaking leg so they replaced it. Then on this trip the front jacks would not retract and finally it was decided the motor had malfunctioned so they agreed to replace the motor but I had to pay for the labor!

Now when the rig is on the jacks there is a noise which sounds like an electrical contractor pulling in and out but it does not happen for any discernible reason. I have tried without success to trace the noise with no luck and I think it is the jacks dropping ever so slightly. I haven't been in touch with Lippert with this new problem as I can't identify exactly what the problem is.

Anyone else out there had the same problem?

[bobalou22]

I have a 2012 Monaco Monarch 36 SFD that I purchased 1/31/13 new. Since that time I have had a problem with the hydraulic lines leaking, not at the fittings or connections but the black rubber or plastic covering of the line itself. I have notice that after being set-up on campsite for a day or two that if I check to see if I'm still level the panel will show me not level. So I think that I'm losing pressure through the line sheath, The lines don't drip with oil, they are wet with to the touch.

The part number and manufacturing date on lines are P/N 248653 Date 09/12/2010.

I don't know if your problem could be related to the lines , but I thought I would add my issue to the discussion to see if anyone has heard of it.

I'm going to be talking to Monaco and Lippert about this this week.

[ranjoorian]

I have a 2013 Tuscany 45LT that just came home from dealer servicing many warranty issues. It had been there for 9 full weeks. I drove it home & tried to set it up at my home & after automatically setting the hydraulic leveling system.

I then started to extend one of the slides which runs off the Lippert leveling pump & the room only extended 3-4" before it stopped. I tried everything I knew how to do & go nowhere. Called dealer immediately & told them what just happened & they had no idea.

Right now I have a $350,000 RV sitting in my yard with all 4 jacks down & one slide partially extended & cannot retract either & cannot move the RV at all.

The Lippert system in this RV is JUNK! My last RV has a Power Gear system & never had an issue in 4 years. I am waiting for the dealer to send a tech to my home & hope they can do something in the field to at least retract everything & then it will have to go right back where I just drove it home from.

NIGHTMARE!

[dickandlois]

ranjoorian,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum!

The Hydraulic pumps on the system are prone to failing as mentioned above in this thread.

Wonder if it would be possible to retrofit the system with a Power Gear pump and manifold should Lippert leave you high and dry?

Had to replace the original hydraulic lines on one of our coach's while in Alaska, a HWH system. They do not use anything but Goodyear -70 degree material up there and it came at a price, but I was able to replace them myself. The positive side was we never had another leak or line failure.

Traded it on a new coach in 2001 and wish I had remover them before turning it in. Good top of the line material for sure.

Rich.

[RonaldNC]

I have struggled with my Lippert system since I've owned my RV. I have replaced the slide rams twice due to leakage around the seals... totally unacceptable quality control.

However, the last time I had problems with the slides and jacks not moving... I got really upset and had to call a mechanic to try and fix it... after three hours of waiting, the mechanic found the problem was low fluid in the reservoir. My lesson... make sure you check the simple stuff first!

Ron

[wildcatervin]

I have a 2010 Damon Astoria with the hyd problem.

It was leaking fluid out of the motor in the front of the pump (of course it was out of warranty). I have a friend that works on all the big farm equipment and had him take it off for me.We separated the motor from the pump and there is a short shaft that connects the 2.

Called Lippert and they stated that the seal had failed. I could not find a seal on this shaft and no place to put one.Again talked to the rep and they stated they would ship me a new shaft.When it arrived it was completely different, same length and diameter but this shaft had 2 O rings on it.

Sure did make sense as it stops the fluid from getting to the motor. Meanwhile I took the motor apart and cleaned it completely.Reassembled it and no more leaks. Asked the engineer at Lippert if this was a modification (oh no this is the type all of them use). Go figure, no claims against them. Hope this long post helps someone. Still cost me for the shaft.

[dickandlois]

wildcatervin,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum!

Thank you for your post ! Thanks for the information and willingness to share it with others. This kind of feedback is what makes this and other forums vibrant and informative.

The description of the shaft and what was missing does make sense.

Now! you posted that there was no accommodation in the drive shaft for the "O" rings, that leads me to think there was no grove or slots in the OEM shaft to place them. am I thinking correctly ?

That points out a real weak point with Facebook. Any information or videos placed there by someone is lost when that person passes away. The accounts are locked forever! Here on the forum it is stored in a way that it will be open to all down the road.

So much information will be lost to those who follow us !!

Rich.

[popndelly]

Another Lippert question: our rear jacks won't retract unless we use manual mode. Lippert says it is the cold weather and that we need to spray the jacks and retract once a week. Any suggestions on silicone spray? Headed on a cross country trip next month and sure to have issues.......

[dickandlois]

Pop,

Do your jack retract OK in warm weather ?

Any good silicon spray will work. Some owners use Tri-Flow or a Lithium based lube.

The idea is to keep the ram portion / chromed portion clean to prevent rust from forming and keep the cylinder seals clean and lubed.

Power gear jacks have grease fittings and mention one shot of lithium grease ever 30 cycles. The small fittings are on the lower edge of the jack cylinder as view from the bottom.

I keep a Small grease gun in the coach just for my jacks.

Rich.

[popndelly]

Rich,

Yes they are fine above freezing. This winter has been the challenge. Will find some spray this week.

PopNDelly

[HenryPatterson]

I have a 2011 Monaco I purchased new . Had the same problem..Jacks down, front slide bout 6 inches out and it quit...In my owners book it had a procedure to go thru to manually close slide and raise jacks..Worked fine! called Lippert and they shipped a new one to a local dealer here inOklahoma ( bought the unit in Texas) Dealer changed pump and sent bill to Lippert..They paid for everthing!! Cost me nothing out of pocket. ( I no-Hard to believe,but true) Lippert told me they had change the shaft seals to a neoprene seal cause the fluid was eating the rubber ones up. Been 3 years now and no more problems...Now I carry a electric drill a 3 inch extension and a 9/16 socket in case it happens again!!

[jlandon13399]

I really get annoyed when I read posts concerning quality problems, especially with later model coaches. This industry needs a concerted effort to install ISO or QS quality control systems in their manufacturing and supplier programs. There is no reason other than corporate greed to not move forward on these initiatives. Coach manufacturers pressure their engineers to get cost out of the unit. They do the same with their suppliers and typically buy from the lowest cost supplier. They then ship units with defects to their dealers and expect the dealers to handle the manufacturer's production problems. All the while the innocent customer waits while these quality issues are corrected, sometimes more than once.

Unless we as customers and organizations like FMCA and Good Sam get together and pressure the manufacturers to improve their quality this will continue. It is not acceptable to buy a $20,000 travel trailer or a $500,000 motor coach and have quality issues. We do not accept quality issues with our cars and other consumer items, so why do we continue to accept quality issues with our recreational vehicles?

I challenge everyone who reads this post to send an email to the manufacturer of their coach (assuming they are still in business) and ask for a detailed explanation of their quality manufacturing process. Might just get their attention. I know I will send one to Monaco/Holiday Rambler.

[wildcatervin]

Ok I am back to say that I went out to exercise my jacks and now they will not work, just click.To cold out yet to do to much outside.On my last post I stated that I had replaced the intermediate shaft.

A question was asked if the original shaft had groves for seals, the answer is no, it was a smooth shaft. Also see that they have improved the seals, hope mine came with them.

Also comment on the warranty, 3-5 years on a car and 1 yr on a MH. Someone doesn't trust there work .As far as the emergency directions go, they would have to show me how they plan on getting to the back of the motor with a drill--can't even get my hand back there.

Will keep you posted as far as the jacks are concerned.

[wolfe10]

Ok I am back to say that I went out to exercise my jacks and now they will not work, just click.To cold out yet to do to much outside.On my last post I stated that I had replaced the intermediate shaft.

What is voltage at the pump motor when you experienced the "just clicking". Bad voltage/bad ground can certainly cause that.

[wildcatervin]

OK, went out yesterday to check on the jacks.

First checked to see if any hyd leaks around the motor--none.

Next tried to see if there was any wires loose--none.

Started the RV and let it warm up and tried the jacks and they worked (go figure).

Will temp have anything to do with it? Got up to the 60s here yesterday.

Please don't tell me it only works in the warm weather.

[wolfe10]

The big thing that running the engine did was to raise battery voltage, as your alternator was working.

Again, place to start when an electrical item is not working properly is to check VOLTAGE.

[RonaldNC]

My motorhome requires me to have my engine running to run the jacks... if I don't, I get a low voltage light... which, per the manual, is how it is designed. I don't know if you have the same requirement.

Ron

[wildcatervin]

Hi Ron,my MH also must be running and charging.The amp guage must be in the + side before my jacks will work.Brett,I agree with the electric bit,maybe my playing with the connecters helped.Time will tell.Ron,got a son in law living in Holly Springs.Go to duke once a year,lung cancer.

[RonaldNC]

Wildcatervin,

Glad all is working. I live in Apex... just up the road from Holly Springs.

Ron

[mikesherri]

I have Lipperts on my Georgetown. I was stuck with them down a few weeks ago. I worked by phone with my dealers technician and could not get them up. Finally called Lippert direct and they figured out my problem in minutes. Tripped a breaker! They told me how to locate the breaker near the pump. Learned a lot and have since downloaded all the manuals to my iPad.

[Maddog378]

Is there not a weep hole in the bottom of the motor to let oil that might get past the seals leak out instead of ruining the motor? If not, there should be!

[gyoung45@nc.rr.com]

Sounds like I'm not the only one with problems....my main slide is out & won't come in & my 4 jacks are down and won't come up. I have a 2008/9 Coachman Cross Country (model 383FWS) Sportscoach diesel pusher with Lippert (LCI) hydraulic system. I am Not mechanically savvy but want to try and figure out the problem before spending More $$ on a technician. Batteries are new, amperage is good, motor on. I'm at a loss, but going to check fuse after work this evening. Open to ideas.....located near Fuquay Varina, NC at storage lot.